Tack puller



F. J. BRAGA TACK FULLER Filed Nov. 26. 1947 Jan. 9, 1951 Patented Jan.9, 1951 UNITED STATES FATENT orrice TACK PULLER Frank J. Braga, Hudson,Mass. Application November 26, 1547, Serial No. 788,277

4 Claims. (Cl. 12 16) This invention pertains to shoe manufacture andmore especially to a tack puller for use in removing pulling-over tacks.

In my Patent No. 2,316,045, dated April 6, 1943, I disclose a novelmethod of making shoes of the stitch-down type which involves the stepof pull- :ing-over the toe portion of the upper and the insertion of twotacks which are driven through the margin of the upper, one at each sideof the toe, into the bottom of the last. Thereafter, an extension soleis secured to the last bottom and the margin of the upper, interveningbetween the tacks, is sewed to the extension sole. Before completing thesewing of the upper to the sole, the pulling-over tacks must be removed.However, since these tacks have been driven into the bottom of the lastand are substantially perpendicular to the last bottom, and since theextension sole overhangs and usually contacts the tack heads, difllcultyhas been experienced in remov- .ing these tacks expeditiously andwithout danger of damage to the shoe upper.

The present invention has for its object the provision of aninstrumentality whereby the tacks 'may be removed readily and with lttle danger of injury to the shoe upper. A further object is 'to providea tack puller comprising a novel pulling claw and means for supportinthe claw in stationary position. A further object is to provide a tackpuller having a pulling claw which may be adiusted to various heightsfor the accommodat on of the user. Other and further objects andadvantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following moredetailed escription and by reference to the accompanying drawingswherein Fig. l is a side elevation of the tack puller of -the presentinvention, portions of the supporting stand being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper part0 the tack puller of thepresent invention;

Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a planview, to small scale, of a shoe comprising an upper andan extension sole and r than in Fig. 2. r I.-.; Re e r t e. drawings tnu ra eesangular shape.

ignates a base or stand, for instance a casting or forging, having ahorizontal foot portion, designed to be secured to a bench or othersuitable support, and the upright member 2 to which a verticallyadjustable post 3 is attached by means of bolts 4. The upright 2 and/orthe post 3 are of any suitable dimensions requisite to provide thedesired rigidity and to dispose the pulling claw at the proper heightfor convenient use. Thus, for example, the length of the upright may beapproximately 12 inches and the post 9 inches, and these parts may be ofa width of the order of 1 /2 inches and of a thickness of /2 inch,assuming that the stock is steel or material of equivalent strengthcharacteristics.

A block 5 is fixed to the upper part of the post 3, for example bywelding or by screws. This block may be a casting or a piece of barstock,

and is of a transverse width approximatin that of the post 3. Asillustrated, the block 5 is approximately 2 inches in front-to-reardimensions at its top, the front face 6 of the block sloping downwardlyand forwardly, making an angle of approximately with the lower surface Iof the block. A clamping plate 8 is associated with this sloping forwardsurface 6 of the block, the clamping plate being secured to the block bymeans of bolts 9 and having a downwardly directed central reinforcetongue 3, here shown as gradually tapering in thickness toward its lowerend. As here illustrated, the block 5 is provided in its forward facewith a recess or slot it which receives the shank of the pulling claw,the recess being of such depth that when the claw is placed in therecess and the bolts 9 are tightened, the claw is held rigidly inoperative position. By loosening the bolts 9, the claw may be adjustedup and down or removed for repairs or replace- .ment.

thick. A convenient length for this bar is 5 inches, although the lengthmay be varied within wide limits.

As here illustrated, each end of this bar is provided with a series ofteeth E2 of generally tri- Preferably the ends l3 of these teethdescribe a circular arc of a radius, for "ea ample, of /2 inch with itscenter on the'cent'er line of the bar. The'toothed end of the bar isalso bent rearwardly, as shown in Fig. l, to provide 'a smooth,forwardly convex face M, which may have a .curvature of the order of 1/8 inch indie; ,ih j wa we nd a cthe bar is preferably tapered so thatthe teeth are sharp at their ends. Preferably, although not necessarily,the edges of the teeth are beveled, as shown at R5, at the rear side ofthe claw.

While the claw is shown as provided with teeth at its opposite ends,this is a matter of convenience since but one end of the claw is in useat the same time. By making the claw alike at its opposite ends, it ispossible to reverse it when the teeth at one end. have become dulled,thus saving material and the time of the user.

The claw is arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1 with its toothedlower end spaced from the lower end of the reinforce tongue 8 of theplate 8, this tongue providing a rigid front abutment for the claw toassist the latter in withstanding the stresses applied during use. Ashere illustrated, the tips of the teeth [2 are spaced approximately 3 ofan inch below the lower end of the reinforce tongue 8*.

Fig. 4 illustrates, diagrammatically, a shoe in readiness for theremoval of the pullin -over tacks. The upper U of the shoe has beenassembled with the last L and its toe portion has been pulled over, forexample, by th use of a commercial type of pulling-over machine, and twotacks T have been driven through the margin of the upper and into thebottom of the last. After the insertion of the pulling-over tacks, anextension sole S is secured to the bottom of the last, for example, bytacks, and, as here illustrated, the toe portion of the margin M of theupper intervening between the tacks T has been spread outwardly over thetoe portion of the extension sole and has been permanently secured tothe sole by a stitched seam Z. The upper is thus permanently fixed tothe extension sole and it is now necessary to remove the tacks T beforecompleting the union of the upper to the extension sole.

The mode of using the tack puller of the pres ent invention for thepurpose of removing these tacks T is illustrated in Fig. Here the lastis shown in transverse section. The margin of the upper U is lapped overthe last bottom and the tacks T, which have been driven through themargin of the upper into the last bottom, are substantially concealed bythe edge of the extension sole S. The heads of the tacks contact theextension sole so that the tacks are quite inaccessible and difficult toremove by any ordinary tack-pulling instruments.

Assumng that the shoe is in the condition shown in Fig. 5, the operator,holding the shoe by its opposite ends, lifts it so as to cause the lowerend of the pulling claw to slide into the space between the upper andthe extension sole and so that the teeth of the pulling claw engage theshank of the tack T. The operator then may pull the shoe bodily towardhim, thereby to remove the tack but preferably rocks the lower part ofthe shoe toward him, using the curved surface it of the pulling claw asa fulcrum, the surface of the upper C, backed by the last L, rockingagainst the surface l4 and thus providing substantial leverage wherebythe tack is readily drawn from the last. This operation is a matter ofbut a few seconds, and since the claw has the smooth, forwardly convexsurface l4 it may be entered into the space between the upper and solewithout danger of damaging the upper, the teeth of the claw beingdirected rearwardly so that they do not tend to stab into the uppermaterial. By arranging the tips l3 of the teeth on an arc, the teeth arein the optimum position for engaging the tack without requiringparticular care on the part of the operator in holding the axis of theshoe exactly horizontal when he presents the shoe for engagement withthe pulling claw.

While herein certain dimensions have been suggested as desirable, asthese dimensions having been found from extended experiment to give themost desirable results, it is to be understood that the invention is notnecessarily limited to these precise dimensions and that suchmodifications and rearrangements of parts and substitutions of materialsas may be desirable under different condit ons of use are to be regardedas falling within the scope of the invention as set forth in thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. In combination in a tack-pulling device for removing pulling-overtacks from a stitch-down shoe having a portion of its upper permanentlyunited to an extension sole, a normally fixed pulling claw consisting ofan elongate bar of tough, hard material terminating at its lower end ina series of teeth, the ends of the teeth describing a convex arc, saidlower end of the bar being curved 'rearwardly to provide a smoothlyrounded front face for contact with the shoe upper, and means rigidlybut adjustably supporting the bar so that it inclines downwardly andforwardly at an angle of approximately to the horizontal and with itstoothed end spaced downwardly therefrom thereby to allow the toothed endto be entered between the shoe upper and the extension sole of the shoe.

2. In combination in a tack-pulling device for removing pulling-overtacks from a stitch-down shoe having a portion of its upper permanentlyunited to an extension sole, a stand comprising a base designed to beattached to a fixed support, an upright carried by the base, a blockfixed to the upright, said block having a front face which inclinesdownwardly at an angle of approximately 80 to the horizontal and whichis provided with a claw-receiving channel, a clamping plate for securinga claw in the channel, and a claw consisting of a bar of hard, toughsteel normally fixed in said channel with its lower end spaced below theblock, the claw terminating at its lower end in a. series of teeth whosetips are disposed in a downwardly convex arc, the lower part of the barbeing curved and rearwardly concave.

3. In combination in a tack-pulling device for removing pulling-overtacks from a stitch-down shoe having a portion of its upper permanentlyunited to an extension sole, a stand comprising a base designed to beattached to a fixed support, a vertically adjustable upright carried bythe base, a block fixed to the upright, said block having a downwardlyinclined front face provided with a claw-receiving channel, a clampingplate for s curing a claw in the channel, and a claw consisting of a barof hard, tough steel normally fixed in said channel with its lower endspaced below the block, the claw terminating at itslower end in a seriesof teeth whose tips are disposed in a downwardly convex arc, the lowerpart of the bar being curved and rearwardly concave, the clamping platehaving a downwardly extending tongue designed to engage the front faceof ,the claw thereby to support the latter in pposition to forwardstress tending to bend the bar forwardly.

(e-In combination, in a tack-pulling device for removing pulling-overtacks from a stitch-down shoe having a portion of its upper permanentlyunited to an extension sole, a stand comprising lower and upper,relatively adjustable parts, a claw-carrying block fixed to the upper ofsaid parts, the front face of the block bein inclined downwardly andforwardly at an angle of approximately 80 to the horizontal, a clampingplate, and means for drawing it toward the front face of the block, theblock and plate defining a channel for the reception of a pulling claw,and a removable pulling claw normally fixed within said. channel, saidclaw having tack-engaging teeth at its opposite ends.

FRANK J. BRAGA.

. 6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Sweden Sept. 19, 1939

